Content Strategy Blueprint, Chapter 3: Choose the Most Effective Marketing Channels

Why spreading yourself thin is not a good idea

Hi, I’m sharing my new E-book, “Content Strategy Blueprint”, with my paid subscribers. You can read all chapters and get the entire book plus an interactive workbook at the end of this series if you become a paid subscriber. Or you can buy the book for the price of one coffee (I’m giving all my Substack friends 50% off) and set up your content marketing strategy in less than a week.

Today, I’m sharing Chapter 3. You can read the first two Chapters here.

• Intro and Chapter 1.

• Chapter 2.

Here we go :)

How to Choose the Right Marketing Channels for Your Small Business?

I’m sure you’ve seen businesses trying to use every possible channel: posting on all social media, jumping on TikTok, experimenting with flyers, running paid ads… and yet, nothing works.

Businesses that randomly choose their marketing channels rarely achieve meaningful success. Even worse, they often waste energy and resources on channels that may not suit them or where they lack the knowledge to execute effectively.

Let’s get one thing straight about marketing channels: they aren’t just social media or a website. Many people equate marketing channels with “socials,” but marketing channels encompass all online and offline ways to reach your customers.

You could spend all your time crafting smart social media posts and videos but still struggle to break through the noise. While some solopreneurs and small businesses build strong followings on Instagram or TikTok alone, that only proves one essential rule:

Never Rely Solely on Someone Else’s Platform to Build Customer Relationships.

You don’t control external platforms like Instagram or Facebook. What if one day, Mark Zuckerberg decides to shut down part of his platform, or if Elon Musk makes a surprising change to X?

What Marketing Channels Do You Own?

Only these:

• Your website

• Your email/newsletter list

Even if your hosting or email provider shut down tomorrow, you still own your website database and email list. That’s why it’s crucial to focus on the channels you own.

No matter how good your product is, it won’t succeed unless it reaches the right people at the right time and place. You need to find and engage your “starving crowd.”

Here’s a Key Formula for Channel Selection:

Right people + right place + right message + right channel = success

Recommended Reading: “Feed a Starving Crowd” by Robert Coorey

Your goal is not to spend on every marketing channel but focus on the right ones for you. There’s no magic formula or shortcut here—just a well-thought-out approach.

• Make a plan and stick to it.

• Analyze, iterate, and improve.

• Over time, you’ll discover what works best for your business.

Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin

Start by building an audience on one platform, then gradually expand. Before we go through the steps, here are a few things to keep in mind: